Thee Headcoatees Man-Trap
Thee Headcoatees's Man-Trap arrives as a bracing, jagged revival of garage rock and punk energy that refuses to soften its edges. Across professional reviews, critics highlight how covers and reworkings - notably “The KKK Took My Baby Away”, “Paint it, Black” and “He’s Gonna Kill That Girl” - sit alongside original heartbreak pieces such as “Becoming Unbecoming Me - Ludella vocal” and “Fire in the Mountains” to create an album equal parts gloom and garage joie de vivre.
The critical consensus places Man-Trap firmly in positive territory, earning an 86.67/100 consensus score across three professional reviews. Reviewers consistently praise the record's ruthless reinterpretations of familiar songs and its potent blend of sixties retro charm with modern punk urgency. AllMusic and Louder Than War both single out “Becoming Unbecoming Me” and “Walking on My Grave” for their emotional weight, while Maximum Volume Music and Louder Than War point to the Ramones-leaning spark of “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and the propulsive take on “Paint it, Black” as some of the best tracks on Man-Trap.
While critics differ in tone - some emphasizing the album's bile and vicious edge, others its tender, Dylan-era heart - the shared view is that this collection revitalizes the band without surrendering grit. For listeners wondering if Man-Trap is worth seeking out, the professional reviews suggest a record that is both a standout in the Headcoatees' catalog and a must-hear for anyone drawn to punk revival and dark, reimagined covers.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
He's Gonna Kill That Girl
2 mentions
"the harrowing "He's Gonna Kill That Girl,""— AllMusic
Becoming Unbecoming Me - Ludella vocal
1 mention
"‘Becoming Unbecoming Me’ ... is a tender heartbreaking listen"— Maximum Volume Music
Fire in the Mountains
1 mention
"Becoming Unbecoming Me / Sex and Flies / Fire in the Mountains from the Dylan-influenced William Loveday period are covered and, seeing as I love those songs they become the sublime centrepiece of Man-Trap"— Louder Than War
the harrowing "He's Gonna Kill That Girl,"
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
The KKK Took My Baby Away - Ludella vocal
Man Trap - Kyra vocal
Signals of Love - Debbie vocal
The Double Axe - Holly vocal
Modern terms of Abuse - Holly vocal
Becoming Unbecoming Me - Ludella vocal
Paint it, Black - Ludella vocal
Walking on My Grave - Kyra vocal
Jim Bowie - Ludella vocal
Sex and Flies - Kyra vocal
He's Gonna Kill That Girl - Debbie vocal
Fire in the Mountains - Holly vocal
I Can't Find Pleasure - Kyra vocal
The Money Will Roll Right In - Kyra vocal
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Thee Headcoatees return on Man-Trap with a record that favors bile over bubblegum, and the best tracks - “Walking on My Grave” and “Becoming Unbecoming Me” - show it. The reviewer's voice catches the album's vicious edge, praising how “Walking on My Grave” delivers unhinged passion while “Becoming Unbecoming Me” offers introspective melancholy. Covers like “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and “Paint it Black” are singled out as ruthless reworkings that get at the songs' darkness. This is an uncompromising punk revival that will thrill listeners seeking the album's most caustic moments.
Key Points
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The best song, "Walking on My Grave", is singled out for its unhinged passion and commanding vocal delivery.
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The album's core strengths are raw, punchy production, vitriolic songwriting, and powerful vocal gravity that make the covers and originals hit hard.
Themes
Critic's Take
Thee Headcoatees sound revitalised on Man-Trap, and the best songs - notably “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and “Becoming Unbecoming Me” - showcase their knack for sixties retro charm and aching tenderness. Damian Sullivan praises the opener as a superb Ramones cover that retains that “hey ho, lets, go” feel while the tender reimagining of The William Loveday Intention song carries strings that add real poignancy. The title track “Man-Trap” and the spirited take on “Walking On My Grave” underline the band’s garage-rock bite, giving listeners the clearest answers to queries about the best tracks on Man-Trap. Overall the album brings a ray of sunshine into a wet November, balancing faithful covers with moving, original reinterpretations.
Key Points
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The opener “The KKK Took My Baby Away” is the best for its superb, sixties-tinged Ramones energy.
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The album’s core strengths are faithful yet fresh covers, retro sixties textures, and moments of genuine poignancy.
Themes
Critic's Take
In his ragged, excitable voice Ged Babey crowns Thee Headcoatees and their new LP Man-Trap as a long-overdue triumph, singling out covers such as “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and “He’s Gonna Kill That Girl” as standout moments. He praises the driving, manic drumming on the band’s take on “Paint It, Black”, and places Dylan-era inspired cuts like “Becoming Unbecoming Me” and “Fire in the Mountains” at the album’s heartbreaking centre. Babey writes with gush and authority that this is the Headcoatees’ "finest hour," a record that pairs punk energy with Childish’s deeper songwriting. For anyone asking about the best tracks on Man-Trap, he points listeners straight to those covers and the Dylan-influenced centrepieces as the songs you will keep returning to.
Key Points
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The best song(s) are the dramatic Ramones cover “He’s Gonna Kill That Girl” and the furious “The KKK Took My Baby Away” for their power and reinterpretation.
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The album's core strengths are its blend of punk energy, accomplished covers, and the emotional depth of Childish's recent songwriting.